Indianapolis Colts

Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown was spotted in Tulum on Sunday ... dancing and partying his face off -- this despite an ongoing police investigation into the death of his mother.

Brown -- wearing red Nike swim trunks -- didn't seem to have a care in the world as he swayed shirtless with patrons on the dance floor at a popular club in the Mexican city.

One witness tells TMZ Sports ... the former Indianapolis Colts defensive back was at the venue for several hours -- chatting it up with people and buying alcohol for others, before bolting.

The scene is eyebrow-raising, to say the least ... considering cops in Maywood, Ill. have been searching for Brown after his mom, 73-year-old Myrtle Brown, was found dead near a creek on Sept. 16. Both she and Sergio were reported missing just hours prior.

Officials later ruled Myrtle's death a homicide ... saying she sustained injuries in an assault. Cops have not released information regarding potential suspects.

There had been speculation that the 35-year-old had left Illinois and traveled to Mexico ... after an Instagram account apparently belonging to the ex-football player posted a video of him in the country rambling about "fake news."

It's unclear where the investigation into Myrtle's death now stands ... we reached out to the Maywood Police Dept. multiple times on Monday but have yet to hear back.

One lucky Colts fan got a rare piece of memorabilia from Anthony Richardson this week ... 'cause the rookie quarterback gifted the kid a signed cleat right off his foot!!

The incredible gesture happened at Indy's training camp on Wednesday ... when the 4th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft met with supporters at the Grand Park Sports Campus.

In clips from the scene, you can see the large crowd begging Richardson for his autograph ... but he took it a step further by taking off his white Nike cleat and signing it before handing it to a young girl ... and her reaction is priceless!!

The 21-year-old was able to hook up a couple of fans with his John Hancock before a team staffer drove him and his little brother -- who was wearing his helmet -- off the field.

By the looks of it, Richardson would still be there right now signing for fans if he didn't get whisked away!!

Richardson is definitely becoming a fan favorite ahead of the season ... besides being named QB1 this week, his old rap verse from a year-old music video has also gone viral, with fans saying he should drop a mixtape.

"I need this rap with him coming out the tunnel on GameDay," one fan tweeted.

Sean Dawkins -- who played nine seasons in the NFL, most notably for the Indianapolis Colts -- died earlier this week. He was 52 years old.

Details surrounding his death have not been announced.

Dawkins -- a first-round pick in 1993 -- tallied 25 touchdowns across his professional career ... setting a career-high of seven in a season with the Seattle Seahawks in 1999.

Colts owner Jim Irsay paid tribute to Dawkins on Thursday, saying ... "Rest in peace, Sean Dawkins. I am shocked and saddened."

"My prayers and condolences to Sean’s family."

Irsay's Colts drafted Dawkins after a standout collegiate career at Cal.

As a Golden Bear, Dawkins was a consensus All-American in 1992 and was subsequently inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

NBA great and current Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd -- who was a freshman on the Cal basketball team when Sean was tearing it up on the gridiron -- shared his grief following his fellow Golden Bear's death ... saying, "Heartbroken over the tragic loss of Sean Dawkins, a true legend of the @Cal Bear community."

"His remarkable talent brought joy to fans and inspired many. Our deepest condolences to his loved ones during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Sean. #ForeverACalBear #RIPSeanDawkins."

Sean was 52.

Isaiah Rodgers will be away from an NFL field for the foreseeable future ... the league just suspended the Indianapolis Colts defensive back indefinitely for violating its gambling policy.

NFL officials announced the ruling on Thursday morning ... adding that two other players -- Colts tight end Rashod Berry and free agent defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor -- were also hit with the same punishments.

Titans offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere, meanwhile, was banned six games for gambling policy violations as well.

Rodgers' punishment had been looming for weeks ... after he admitted earlier this month that he had broken the league's betting rules.

It's unclear exactly what all of the guys' violations specifically were -- the NFL didn't say when making its announcement -- but it did reveal Rodgers, Berry and Taylor will only be able to return to the gridiron if they petition for reinstatement at the end of this season.

While Berry and Taylor were viewed as more of role players ... the loss of Rodgers is a big one -- he's played in 45 games for the Colts the last three years, and has been a special teams ace in addition to a productive cornerback.

"I am very sorry for all of this," Rodgers said in a statement earlier this month.

Thursday's bans for gambling violations are hardly the first the NFL has doled out in the last year or so -- stars like Lions wideout Jameson Williams and Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley have also been punished recently over the betting policy.

Pat McAfee says he's no longer fighting with Brett Favre in the courtroom ... the media personality claims the NFL legend is withdrawing his lawsuit against him.

Favre initially sued the ex-Colts punter back in February ... alleging McAfee defamed him when he spoke on his "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier this year about Favre's alleged role in a welfare funds scandal in Mississippi.

Specifically, Favre took umbrage when he claimed that McAfee said on-air that the former Packers QB was "stealing from poor people."

McAfee strongly denied that he was defaming Favre with any of his comments about the scandal ... and pushed back against the Hall of Famer's suit at nearly every turn in the case.

Finally, on Thursday, McAfee said Favre agreed to drop it all.

"My statements, expressed in comedic style," he said, "were based solely on public information and allegations. As I have previously stated, I respect the hell out of Brett Favre the football player and his Hall of Fame career on the field, and I have no personal knowledge about any case involving Brett in Mississippi."

McAfee insisted there was no settlement money paid to Favre to get to this point.

"I would much rather talk about sports than lawsuits," McAfee said. "So I'm glad we have all of this behind us. We now move on."

In addition to McAfee, Favre also sued Shannon Sharpe for comments he said the former Denver Broncos player made about him on FS1 earlier this year. It's unclear if that suit remains ongoing.

Ex-NFL star Vontae Davis seemed to be sound asleep on the side of a highway near two wrecked vehicles after he was accused of drunkenly crashing his Tesla during an accident on Saturday morning ... new photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

In the pictures -- snapped just minutes after Davis allegedly rammed his ride into the back of a Toyota truck in Broward County, Fla. -- you can see Davis appeared to be unconscious on the pavement.

Wearing a mint-green corduroy set with his shoes still on, the 34-year-old former Indianapolis Colts defensive back was balled up with his head laying in his hands and his eyes closed.

A witness tells us that even as people moved around him -- including first responders, a clean-up crew and police -- Davis remained fast asleep ... until cops woke him up and put him in a squad car.

In Florida Highway Patrol dash cam footage we obtained, you can see Davis appeared to be having trouble staying awake there too.

During questioning, the two-time Pro Bowler seemed to fade in and out of consciousness ... and when one officer eventually began telling him why he was being arrested for DUI -- the cop said, "Your eyes are bloodshot. Your speech is slurred. You can barely stay awake. All right? You almost killed somebody."

Other photos from the scene we obtained show just how fortunate everyone is to have come away from the wreck alive -- you can see in the pics, Davis' Tesla was mangled ... as was the back of the Toyota.

Davis did admit to cops he had drank two "mixed drinks" before getting behind the wheel, but he said he had no recollection of the car accident.

The former football player, who spent 10 seasons in the NFL from 2009 to 2018, was ultimately arrested and booked on a charge of DUI.

'Bachelor' alum, Hannah Ann Sluss won't have to stress about getting roses anymore ... 'cause the former contestant is engaged to NFL player Jake Funk -- and was spotted at a Cabo airport sporting the massive ring!!!

HAS shared the big news to her 900k+ TikTok followers on Wednesday ... showing her enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with the Indianapolis Colts running back.

Apparently, Hannah wasn't expecting a diamond ring for dessert ... as the model captioned the clip, "The surprise at the end he had for me 🥺."

You can see the emerald cut diamond on her finger and a projection on a mountain in the background reading "She said Yes."

As it turns out, Hannah Ann was already wearing the rock on Tuesday ... when the bride-to-be showed off the ring while waiting at the airport with her future hubby.

Of course, this isn't the first time Sluss was asked for her hand in marriage.

The 26-year-old was the winner in season 24 of "The Bachelor" in 2019 ... and got engaged to Peter Weber.

However, Weber called it off during the "After the Final Rose" special ... claiming he was in love with the runner-up Madison Prewett.

Safe to say it all worked out for Hannah Ann in the end.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... and Isaiah Rodgers is certainly ready for it -- 'cause the Colts defensive back has copped some amazing light-up Rudolph and Santa cleats!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Indy star wanted to be decked out for the Colts' game against the Vikings on Saturday ... and reached out to cleat artist Rodney Jackson to get some Xmas-themed feet heat made.

Jackson -- who's been Rodgers' go-to shoe guy for several seasons -- tells us they both decided to go with the two most iconic Christmas characters for the spikes ... and they came out great.

The left cleat, featuring Santa, is wrapped in red velvet with white fur all over it.

The right shoe -- which comes with jingle bells -- has Rudolph's face painted on the toe with the bonus of a very shiny nose that lights up.

It wasn't an easy project ... Jackson told us it took two days to put the Nike cleats together -- from wiring the lights into the spikes to making Santa's beard on his own.

Former Cleveland Browns star Joe Thomas just went scorched earth on Jim Irsay ... blasting the Colts owner for hiring "drinking buddy" Jeff Saturday as Indy's next head coach.

Thomas, who played 11 years in the league, didn't hold back a thing while appearing on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Friday ... calling the Saturday hire "the most egregious thing I can ever remember happening in the NFL."

"It is one of the most disrespectful things I have ever seen in my entire life," the ex-offensive lineman said.

Thomas' main issue is Saturday's experience. The former Colts center never coached at the NFL or collegiate level -- and had been working as an ESPN analyst at the time of the hiring.

Thomas called it a complete slap to the face of all of the other coaches in the league who have worked tirelessly at their crafts for years.

Thomas then said Saturday's introductory press conference earlier this week -- one in which Irsay said he was actually glad Jeff didn't have prior head coaching experience -- was also disrespectful to those around the NFL.

"I was in France with my kids earlier in the week, but when I saw this, I thought it was a joke," he said. "I thought maybe I had a little Google translate and all the sudden I'm in the wrong calendar and it's April 1st or something going on."

Thomas threw some shade Saturday's way too ... seemingly implying the 47-year-old should have simply rejected Irsay's job offer.

The Indianapolis Colts have fired head coach Frank Reich following the team's blowout loss to the Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium ... and, stunningly, have named former star offensive lineman Jeff Saturday the interim HC.

Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed the news on his Twitter page on Monday morning ... which caught most folks off-guard, considering Jeff has ZERO coaching experience in college or the pros.

His only experience came as ... err, a high school coach with Hebron Christian H.S. in Georgia. His last season on the sidelines was in 2020 ... where his team finished with a 3-7 record.

The Colts dropped to 3-5-1 after losing to New England, 26-3 ... as the team demonstrated an inability to score offensively under rookie quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

Reich took over the Colts in 2018 -- after Josh McDaniels scorned the franchise at the last minute -- leading the team to a 10-6 record that season and an 11-5 record in 2020.

Reich led the Colts to the playoffs twice.

However, the 60-year-old play-caller didn't always enjoy success in Indy ... in 2019, he finished with a 7-9 record, and things were assuredly trending in that direction this season.

The org. benched Matt Ryan ... and turned to Ehlinger to salvage their season, but after falling further behind in the AFC South race, Indy is giving up on the Reich experiment.

Halloween will come a day early for Indianapolis Colts corner Isaiah Rodgers ... 'cause the NFL player copped some spooky mummy cleats for Sunday's game -- that light up!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Indy defensive back hit up his go-to guy Rodney Jackson recently to get some spikes made for the Colts' day-before-Halloween game against the Washington Commanders.

Jackson tells us he actually came up with the idea to make Rodgers' cleats look like a corpse ... and then he decided to add on a bonus -- some creepy green lights!

The final product came out amazing ... the shoes are wrapped in fabric to make them look like a body is inside. Rodgers' jersey number is painted on the side ... and there's also a frightening green face featured on the toes.

Jackson says he used curtains for the look -- telling us he went to several fabric stores before finally finding just the right product.

Jackson said the pieces -- plus the special wiring for the illumination -- took him 12 hours to put together.

Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard is stepping up in the midst of tragedy ... by donating $15K to help pay for the caskets of the Uvalde shooting victims.

Leonard and his wife Kayla made the generous donation through his foundation -- The Maniac Foundation -- to the owner of Soulshine, the Texas company that provided custom caskets for all the victims.

"Once I heard the terrible news about the Uvalde school shooting, I knew that I wanted to do something to help those suffering," Leonard said.

"I am pleased to announce that The Maniac Foundation has donated 15k to Soulshine who provided each victim of the shooting with a custom casket."

Soulshine owner Trey Ganem said when his team was asked to help with the caskets, he agreed without hesitation ... explaining he knew God would send an army to help them fulfill their mission.

21 innocent people, including 19 kids, were savagely murdered inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX on May 24.

The devastation from the senseless violence has reverberated throughout the sports world ... with many high-profile names from LeBron James to Warriors coach Steve Kerr making impassioned pleas to politicians to fix the issue.

One of Kurt Cobain's most famed guitars is officially in the hands of a new owner, but it wasn't acquired without a king's ransom -- the instrument ended up going for 7 figures.

You'll definitely recognize this one ... it's the blue 1969 Fender Mustang featured in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, which was also used during recording sessions for the band's "Nevermind" and "In Utero" albums -- so the high price tag of $4.5 million should be no surprise.

Kurt's old guitar was auctioned off Sunday to the Jim Irsay Collection -- yes, the Indianapolis Colts owner -- and ended up going for way higher than its estimated bid of $600k ... which is where Julien's Auctions had it pegged at the outset.

Considering this was one of Kurt's most prized possessions -- not to mention it's a left-handed guitar -- the exponential jump, perhaps, really isn't all that shocking.

What is sorta eye-opening is how many bidders there were -- word is, it was a war of sorts that Irsay walked away from victorious. The guy's worth an estimated $3.5 billion -- so he definitely had the means to snap it up.

Former Indianapolis Colts star Cato June says his young son was taunted with racist chants while he was pitching during a youth baseball game on Sunday ... and the ex-linebacker says he's "crushed" over it all.

June explained the awful situation on his Twitter page on Monday ... saying that while his kid, Cato Jr., was on the mound -- players from the opposing team aimed "monkey chants" his way.

"I am here in Indy and they are in Texas so my wife called me during the inning going off," said June, who's now an assistant coach on the Colts' staff. "I am crushed they were subjected to just plain old hate."

June said the incident happened during a game featuring kids 14 years old and younger.

June said his son handled it all "with more class than I ever could have" ... but he added it still stung the teenager.

"Hate is taught and the fact that people are poisoning young minds further infuriated me," the 42-year-old former Super Bowl champion said ... "He said he felt alone out there as the only black kid playing and only his mom there to have his back."

"I told him that you are never alone because God has us covered! All praise to the most high."

We've reached out to the team accused of making the chants for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Mo Alie-Cox might be a free agent this offseason, but he's hoping to stay put ... telling TMZ Sports he'd love to re-sign with the Colts!!

The 28-year-old has played in Indianapolis since signing on as an undrafted free agent in 2017 ... after starring as a college basketball player at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Alie-Cox has developed into a solid player over the first four seasons of his career -- last year, he banked in 316 yards and 4 touchdowns after signing a one-year deal for $3 million.

Alie-Cox is now at liberty to sign with any team he wants as he hits free agency ... but he tells us, he'd rather keep it going in Indy.

"I'd love to go back to Indy," AC told us this week. "Been there for my whole career."

"That's the only place I know, so if they extend an offer or the right opportunity presents itself, I would definitely love to go back."

Of course, we had to ask about the rumors of MAC going over to the NFC to play with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts ... and that was news to him.

"Shoot, I haven't heard me going to Philly," he said.

It would make sense -- Alie-Cox's former Colts TE coach, Jason Michael, and OC, Nick Sirianni, are running things in Philly now .. and they could use more talent at the position.

But, Mo says he hasn't heard anything about it -- and it's clear he loves Indy.

Another NFL QB is on the move ... the Indianapolis Colts have agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders.

Adam Schefter just reported the news ... saying the Colts will receive "a package of picks" that will include third-rounders for the signal-caller.

It's the second time in the last year that Wentz has been traded -- you'll recall, the Philadelphia Eagles sent him to Indy in March 2021 for draft picks as well.

Wentz had an up-and-down year in his one and only season with the Colts. Battling injuries, he started 17 games and threw for 3,563 yards, 27 TDs and 7 INTs. Indianapolis ended up missing out on the playoffs following a devastating Week 18 loss to the Jaguars.

Wentz will now be the presumed starter in Washington, as Taylor Heinicke will most likely fall into the backup role.

As for Wentz's potential in D.C. ... TMZ Sports spoke with his former tight end in Indy, Mo Alie-Cox, just days ago outside of JLT Performance Gym in Los Angeles, and he told us he was confident Wentz still has the goods to get a team to the Super Bowl.